The BU Libraries display information about the Della Hardman collection and other materials at the 20th annual Della Hardman Day held at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum.

On July 26, the BU Libraries celebrated Della Hardman Day with the Martha’s Vineyard community. This annual celebration honors the legacy of Della Hardman—an artist, educator, author, and advocate for cultural understandingand social justice—whose papers are preserved by the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at the BU Libraries.

After earning her master’s degree in fine arts from Boston University in 1945, Hardman worked as a public school teacher, professor and administrator for 40 years. In 1986, she moved to Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, where she took over the local Vineyard Gazette column from author Dorothy West. She became an integral member of her community, serving on the Nathan Mayhew Seminars, the Oak Bluffs Library, the Featherstone Art Gallery, the Vineyard Nursing Association, the Martha’s Vineyard Historical Society, and the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Society, among other organizations.

The Della Hardman collection at the BU Libraries includes personal and professional correspondence, manuscripts, professional and research materials, artwork, notebooks, scrapbooks, film, video, audio materials and photographs, among other items. The collection is open for use by appointment.

Community members attend the 20th annual Della Hardman Day held at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum.